Neilson heads into the summer as an unrestricted free agent. But he said the impression he got from his year-end meeting with management last week is that there's a good chance he and the Lightning will agree on a deal to bring him back to the Crunch.

Neilson was one of the team's most popular players this season for his hard-edged play and extensive community work.

"I got a good feeling when I left the meeting they were definitely going to do whatever they can,'' Neilson said of Tampa Bay. "They said they were happy with my play and they'd do everything within their power to re-sign me.''

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Syracuse forward Dan Sexton might re-join him in the organization. Sexton is a restricted free agent who also sounded optimistic about employment with Tampa Bay in 2013-14.

"I'm kind of hoping we can work something out in that direction,'' he said. "Obviously, I'd love to come back. We're at the beginning stages of talking again.''

Koekkoek has a lot going for him. Good size, great skating, great work ethic, physical aggressiveness. I saw him at last years prospect camp, and he was the best player there. He had a rough year this year trying to play injured on a crappy team, but having some rough patches in your life is what helps you mature. He'll be fine, just needs some time.

I wonder if Matt Taormina (UFA) gets re-signed. It would be stupid to let him walk, IMO.

I like Taormina, I'd be fine with giving him a 1yr 1-way deal, if the docs say his back is ok. He's not big or physical, but he is smart and solid both ways, which we could use more of. Other options would be UFA Michal Rozsival on a 1-2 year 2m deal, or UFA Alex Sulzer on about a 1-2 yr 1.5m deal (if docs say his knee is ok). So many options.

I like Taormina, I'd be fine with giving him a 1yr 1-way deal, if the docs say his back is ok. He's not big or physical, but he is smart and solid both ways, which we could use more of. Other options would be UFA Michal Rozsival on a 1-2 year 2m deal, or UFA Alex Sulzer on about a 1-2 yr 1.5m deal (if docs say his knee is ok). So many options.

Give him a 2-way deal, he is not expected to make the team. I wouldn't give him more than 2 years though.

Hey guys, what's the word on Brett Connolly? Haven't heard much from him since he got drafted. Is he still progressing well? Or have they tempered his expectations a bit. I remember them saying he was a pretty talented scorer when he was drafted.

Hey guys, what's the word on Brett Connolly? Haven't heard much from him since he got drafted. Is he still progressing well? Or have they tempered his expectations a bit. I remember them saying he was a pretty talented scorer when he was drafted.

Thanks!

Just spent the year in the AHL, which I think was the goal all along but was prevented from doing so in 11-12 by the CHL rule. He finished 2nd in AHL goals this season. Progressing pretty nicely, but still might get traded because of the need for defensive help and the organization's logjam at forward.

After a three-season absence, Trent Cull will be helping to call the shots again behind the Syracuse Crunch's bench.

Parent club Tampa Bay has hired Cull as the new assistant coach of the team, replacing Marty Raymond.

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Cull, 39, is a former Syracuse player who also worked as an assistant under Ross Yates from 2006-10. For the past three seasons, Cull was head coach of Sudbury of the OHL, compiling a regular season record of 94-88-11-11.

Cull said he had another year left on his contract with that team but was so anxious to work with Tampa Bay he resigned from the Wolves this morning. And he doesn't see going back to a job he's already held as a step down.

"Some people might view this as a sidestep. I don't,'' Cull said Wednesday night. "This is the next step in my career. I think this is the right thing for me right now. I'm going to learn from great people. This is one of the best opportunities that has come my way in a long time. I'm really excited to be part of the Tampa Bay organization.''

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Cull said his work as a head coach in the OHL gave him experience teaching younger players as well as an appreciation of the big picture of running a team.

"I really wanted that experience. I know it will make me a better assistant,'' he said.

Tampa Bay assistant general manager Julien BriseBois said he had about 100 applicants for the position. Cull interviewed with BriseBois and Syracuse head coach Rob Zettler at the NHL draft last weekend.

"His vision for the role lined up with our vision. A lot of what we do comes down to leadership. In that regard, he really fits in,'' BriseBois said.

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Like Zettler, Cull is a former defenseman. BriseBois said former NHL forward Stacy Roest, who worked as a volunteer player development coach for the Lightning this season, has been hired to return and work with the Crunch's forwards in 2013-14.

BriseBois said the the job as Syracuse's video coach has yet to be filled.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning
The Yzerman era has not yet been too successful at the NHL level, but at the prospect level, the Bolts have built the best system in hockey. Elite prospect Jonathan Drouin leads the way, and Tampa Bay has a ton of top talent elsewhere in their minor league affiliates and in the amateur ranks. The Lightning have a lot of very good prospects to go with their high-end quality depth, and that is true even with the fact that former sixth overall pick Brett Connolly no longer qualifies as a prospect. The future is bright for this organization.

Learning he needed a second surgical procedure was tougher to absorb than any hit he'd ever taken into the end boards.

"It was a pretty low point in my career so far, with it happening twice like that and letting down a lot of fans and wanting to prove myself as a high first-round pick, it was tough," said Koekkoek, one of 31 prospects taking part in Tampa Bay's summer development camp that runs through Wednesday.

"But I think it has just made me stronger and wanting to prove that even more now."

The shoulder is not quite fully recovered, and Koekkoek is expected to be held out of the 3-on-3 tournament - he was part of last year's winning team - in order to ensure everything is 100 percent when training camp opens in September.

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"Watching here (early in the camp, the injury) has not affected his skating at all; he's one of the best skaters out here," said Al Murray, the Lightning's director of amateur scouting. "He was one of the top defensemen in his age group before the injuries and since he's come back from the injuries we expect that he will jump right back to that status again."

But there is no way to replicate game action, which raises the question as to what sort of setback the injuries cause for a younger player at a key time in his development.

"It's always something that you are concerned about because he does not get the opportunity to be the go-to guy and have that feeling of responsibility and success that comes along with leading your team," Murray said. "So you always like them to get those experiences, but as long as he is willing to work as hard as he does, I think his skill level is where it was and his hockey sense is not going to disappear, and his skating is elite."

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"Getting to the NHL is what I thought about every day in the rehab," Koekkoek said. "I want to make the Tampa Bay Lightning this year and make a big impact on them and help them get in the right direction. That's my goal and that's what I think about every day, getting to that level and hoping I can get there."

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"He works hard and is in good shape, we just have to be patient with him," Lightning general manager Steve Yzerman said. "He'll be fine. He's in a good program in Windsor, we expect him to be on a good team and have a good season. There is no need to rush him, we have a good prospect."

Koekkoek is actually one of the prospects I'm most excited about. I see him anchoring our 2nd pairing and getting some PP and PK time as well in 2 or 3 years. Can't wait until all these kids start coming up and we are forced to start selling off some prospects that we just don't have room for anymore.

"I don't know how to say it," the Lightning prospect said Sunday between workouts at the team's development camp at the Ice Sports Forum. "I'm just proud for the team; a lot of effort for the team."

But that is only part of what he needs to reach the NHL. That is why last season, his first in the junior Quebec league, Kucherov, 20, added a defensive element to his game that Al Murray, the Lightning's director of amateur scouting, said solidified the right wing's status as "one of the elite players in his age group."

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"His game took a huge step," Murray said. "He's committed to working hard on the ice and on his conditioning."

Credit Rouyn-Noranda coach Andre Tourigny, Kucherov said: "He talked with me a lot. He showed me how Tampa Bay played in the defensive zone, the forecheck and backcheck."

Kucherov also picked Tourigny's brain after games and practices. They studied video. Kucherov sent text messages to his coach whenever he had questions.

The result: a reworking of how Kucherov understands and plays the game, and how it applies to his ultimate goal.

"If you want to play in the NHL, you have to improve your game in the defensive zone," said Kucherov, who last season was a combined plus-17. "If you play in the defensive zone well, it's like you take a step up."

Kucherov stepped up in the classroom as well, studying English three hours a day five days a week over three months, he said.

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"That he picked it up in one year is pretty impressive," said fellow Lightning prospect Tanner Richard. "It just goes to show you he's willing to learn, to adapt to everything, not just hockey."

Richard and Kucherov will room together this summer in Montreal, where they will train and where Kucherov, 5 feet 11, 171 pounds, knows he must add weight and muscle.

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Oh, yes," Kucherov said when asked if he gets the same thrill from playing defense as scoring a goal.

"If you do some good positioning in the defensive zone and take a puck away from another player, you feel great."

No one ever questioned this kid's skill, and he sounds like the absolute polar opposite of the "Russian factor." Really excited to see what he brings to Cuse next season. As potential career trajectories go, talk about a steal in the late 2nd.